Envelop-marker.



No. 832,260. PATBNTED OCT. 2, 1905. E. L. KBERAN & G. H. LEWIS.

BNVELOP MARKER. urmonmx num'ma 1 nos carried by the marking device preceding or face of which the UNITED STATES EARNEST L. KEERAN AND CLAUDE PATENT OFFICE.

ENVELOP-MARKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1906.

Application filed August 1,1905. Serial No. 272,259.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EARNEST L. KEERAN and CLAUDE H. Lnwrs, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Envelop-Markers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in envelop-markers.

The object of our invention is to provide a marking device having means for securing to the hand and carrying suitable type, with means for automatically inking the type when the device is applied to the article to be marked.

Our invention provides, on a marking device having means for securing to the hand of the operator, an inking-ribbon which is antomatically moved over the face of the type following a printing or marking operation. The invention provides, further, a ring for embracing the finger of the operator, the

ring supporting suitable type, and means by which the type are automatically inked when the ring is moved so as to force the type against the article to be marked.

Other novel features are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of our invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the marking device shown in the raised position. Fig. 2 is a top view. Fig. 3 is a side elevation view showing the device in the depressed position. Fig. 4 is an under view, a portion of the ribbon being broken away to disclose the type. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the dotted line a b of Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference denote similar parts.

1 denotes the type-support, comprising a U-shaped body having outwardly-extending arms 2, on which are respectively rotatively mounted two horizontal transverse shafts 3 and 4, which serve as drums to which the ends of an ordinary inking-ribbon 5 are respectively secured and upon which the ribbon may be alternately wound from one upon the other. Upon the under side of the typesupport 1 is secured a horizontal plate 6, having on its under side suitable type 7, over the ribbon 5 is drawn automatically in a step-by-step movement. Upon one end of the shaft or drum 4 is secured and rotatable therewith a ratcheti wheel 8, which is rotated step by step by a pawl 9, the upper end of which engages the teeth of the ratchet-wheel and the lower end of which is pivotally mounted upon a horizontal screw 10, the screw-threaded inner end of which is fitted in a transverse threaded hole provided in a member 1 1. The member 11 is provided with a vertical hole 12, in which is disposed the lower end of a vertical stud or pin 13, the upper end of which is rigidly secured in the arm 2, carrying the drum 4. A coil-spring 14 encircles the stud 13 and has its upper end bearing against the under side of the adjacent arm 2 and its lower end bearing against the upper end of the member 11. Downward movement of the member 11 on the stud 13 is limited by the screw 10, the inner end of which enters a longitudinal groove 15, provided in the stud 13 above the lower end thereof. When the member 11 is upwardly moved, the pawl 9 is moved upwardly, thus rotating the ratchet-wheel 8 and winding on the drum '4 the ribbon 5. When pressure is removed from the member 11, the spring 14 will force it and the pawl 9 downwardly to the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 5. On the support 1 adjacent thearm 2, carrying the drum 4, is pivoted, by means of a horizontal screw or pin 16, one end of a pawl 17, the other end of which is engaged with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 8 and prevents retraction of said wheel. A spring 18 has one end secured to the support 1 and the other bearing upon the pawl 17, so as to keep the pawl against the ratchet-wheel 8. Upon the support 1 below the drum 3 is secured one end of a spring 19, which extends below the face of the type 7 and is adapted to bear upon the envelop or article to be marked by the type. The spring 19 serves to form a yielding support for the marking device and prevent its tipping laterally when pressure is applied to the member 11. upper side of the support 1 between the arms 2 is a device adapted to embrace the finger of the operator and comprising, preferably, a resilient ring 20, which is transversely split in its upper side, so as to be capable of being fitted to fingers of different sizes.

In operating our invention when the device is to be used to mark envelops or similar arti cles the thumb of the operator is inserted in the ring 20 and the envelops held by the hand carrying the marking device are pressed against the member 11 and spring 19. Suificient pressure being applied to the ring 20 IIO and the bunch of envelops, the member 11 and'the spring 19 will be forced upwardly un til the adjacent envelop strikes the ribbon 5 and presses against the type 7, the characters carried by the type being imprinted in the or dinary manner upon. the envelop. If new the ring 20 be withdrawn, the spring 14; will force the member 11 and pawl 9 downwardly, the pawl 9 being held against the ratchetwheel 8 by a spring 21, the lower end of which is secured to the member 11. As the envelops are being forced toward the type the ribbon 5 will be advanced slightly over the type 7 by the forward rotation of the drum 4 through the intermediacy of the ratchetwheel 8, pawl 9, and member 11. Thus by consecutively moving the ring 20 and support 1 toward and from the articles to be marked, the member 11 and spring 19 being supported by such articles, a stepby-step movement of the ribbon 5 from the drum 3 toward the drum 4 will be imparted, thus presenting fresh inking-surface to the type 7 After the ribbon has been all unwound from the drum 3 the pawls 9 and 17 may be swung clear of the ratchet-wheel 8, so as to permit the reverse rotation of the drum 4, after which the drum. 3 may be rotated by a handle 22, provided at one end thereof, in a direction such that the ribbon may nearly all be wound upon the drum 3. The pawls 9 and 17 may now again be permitted to be forced against the ratchet-wheel 8 by the springs 21 and 18, respectively, after which the instru ment may be again used. for marking as hereinbefore described. It will be noted that during the movement of the ribbon over the face of the type the ribbon is held out of contact with the article to be marked, thus preventing the said article from clamping the ribbon against the type when it is desired to feed the ribbon over the type-face.

Our invention may be modified in many ways without departing from its spirit.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an envelop-marker, the combination with a type-support provided with means for being supported by the hand and carrying suitable type, of an inking-ribbon movable lengthwise over the type-face and supported by the type -support, a movable device mounted on the type-support and adapted to strike the article to be marked and be moved thereby in one direction when the typesupport is moved. so as to force the inking-ribbon against the article to be marked, means for retracting said movable device in the opposite direction, and means by which, when. said movable device is reciprocated, step-bystep movement lengthwise is imparted to the inking-ribbon.

2. In an envelop-marker, with a type-support provided with means the combination for being supported by the hand, and carrying suitable type, of two ribbon-supports rotatively mounted upon said type-support, an inking-ribbon having its ends connected to said ribbon-supports and adapted to be wound from one upon the other and when so wound movable between the type and the article to be marked thereby, a reciprocative device mounted upon said type-support and movable in one direction by striking the article to be marked, means for retracting the re ciprocative device in the opposite direction, and. means by which step-by-step rotation is imparted to one of the ribbon-supports when said reciprocative device is reciprocated.

3. In an envelop-marker, the combination with a type-support provided with means for being supported by the hand, and carrying suitable type, of two drums rotatively mounted on said support, a ratchet-wheel rotatable with one of said. drums, an inkingribbon secured at its ends to said drums respectively and adapted to be wound upon one from the other, and movable over the face of the type, a reciprocative pawl carried by said type support and engaging said ratchet-wheel, means by which movement in one direction is imparted to the pawl when the type-support is moved so as to press the type and inking-ribbon against the article to be marked, the ribbon being held out of contact with said article during the winding movement, and means for retracting the pawl in the opposite direction.

4. In an envelop-marker, the combination with a type-support provided with means for being supported by the hand and carrying suitable type, two drums rotatively mounted on said support, a ratchet-wheel rotatable with one of said. drums, an inking-ribbon connected at its ends respectively to said drums and adapted to be wound upon one from the other and movable over the face of the type, a device reciprocatively mounted on said support and adapted. to strike and be moved in one direction by the article to be marked when the type-support is moved so as to press the type and ribbon against the article to be marked, means for retracting said reciprocative device in the opposite direction, and a pawl engaging said ratchetwheel and reciprocated by said reciprocating device.

5. In an envelop-marker, the combination. with a type-support provided with means for being supported by the hand and carrying suitable type, of two drums rotatively mounted on said support, a ratchet-wheel rotatable with one of said drums, an inkingribbon secured at its ends to said-drums respectively and adapted to be wound upon one from the other and movable over the face of the type, a reciprocative pawl carried by said type-support for engaging and rotating said ratchet-wheel, means for imparting IOU movement in one direction to the pawl when the type-support is moved so as to press the type and inking-ribbon against the article to be marked, the ribbon being held out of contact with said article during the winding movement, means for retracting the awl in the opposite direction, and means or preventing retraction of the ratchet-wheel.

6. In an envelop-marker, the combination with a type-support provided with means for being supported by the hand and carrying suitable type, two drums rotatively mounted on said support, a ratchet-wheel rotatable with one of said drums, an inking-ribbon adapted to be wound upon one from the other of said drums and movable over the face of the type, two pawls mounted upon said support and engaging said ratchet-wheel one for preventing retraction of said ratchet-wheel the other pawl being reciprocatively mounted and adapted when reciprocated to rotate said ratchet-wheel step byste and means by which the reciprocative paw is reciprocated consecutively when the type support is moved so as to successively press the type and inking-ribbon against the articles to be marked, the ribbon being held out of contact with said article during the winding movement.

7. The combination with a ring for embracing a finger of the operator, of means for supporting suitable type therefrom, an ink ing-ribbon supported by said ring and movable over the face of the type, and means for so moving said ribbon when the type and ribbon are pressed against the article to be marked, the ribbon being held out of contact with said article during the movement of the ribbon over the type.

8. The combination with a type-support carrying suitable type, of a ring secured to said support and adapted to embrace the finger of the operator, an inking-ribbon mounted upon said type-support and movable over the face of the type, and means carried by said support for imparting step-by-step movement lengthwise to said ribbon and operated when the type and ribbon are pressed against the article to be marked, the ribbon I being held out of contact with said article during the movement of the ribbon over the t e.

The combination with a type-support carrying suitable type, of a device secured to said support and adapted to embrace the finger of the operator, two drums rotatively mounted on said support, an inking-ribbon connected to said drums and adapted to be wound from one upon the other and disposed over the face of the type, and means for imparting step-by-step rotation to one of said drums when the type and ribbon are successively pressed against the articles to be marked, the ribbon being held out of contact with said articles during the movement of the ribbon over the type.

10. The combination with a type-support carrying suitable type, of a device secured to said support for embracing the finger of the operator, two drums rotatively mounted on said support, a ratchet-wheel rotatable with one of said drums, an inking-ribbon connected to said drums and adapted to be wound upon one from the other and disposed over the face of the type, a reciprocative pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel, a pawl-support reciprocatively mounted on said type-support and movable in one direction by striking the article to be marked when the type and ribbon are pressed against the device to be marked, a spring for retracting the pawl-support, and a pawl carried by the type-support and engaging and preventing retraction of the ratchet-wheel.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

EARNEST L. KEERAN. CLAUDE H. LEWIS. Witnesses:

WARREN D. HoUsE, HENRY F. RosE. 

